Roseville Romance

by Lorelei M. Hart

  I’d parked inside the garage, so we got into the car with the garage door still closed. That way, I knew he was safely inside the car before I opened it.

  “Ready Freddy?” I asked.

  “Yep. This is my first sleepover, you know.”

  I nodded. He had told me that when he got the invitation in the mail.

  At Brenner’s, I walked him inside, looking like a madman for any weird activity. There was nothing, so I got back into the car and tried not to come unglued.

  My methods weren’t working.

  It was already time for Patrick to be home. My instinct told me he would welcome me in, and he’d given me his address, but maybe I was putting too much on him so early in this relationship.

  I went with my gut and arrived at his house, disheveled and a mental mess.

  It took all my nerve to knock on his door.

  “Hey!” He answered the door with a smile on his face. “Come in, babe. What’s wrong?” He escorted me inside and before I could tell him anything, I burst into tears.

  He didn’t say a word. Instead, he picked me up and settled me on his couch and stroked my back while he cooed in my ear that everything would be all right. He didn’t even know what was wrong, but yet, I was comforted head to toe.

  If this man wasn’t my alpha, I didn’t know if there was one for me at all.

  But my heart said he was.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Patrick

  Robbie wasn’t Damon’s first foster child, and he also wasn’t the first who might go back to a questionable home. But his reaction convinced me I’d been right that this little boy was the one. I knew he was Damon’s—hell, he was our child in the same instinctive way that we were one another’s mates. Robbie belonged with us. And the sooner we made our relationship solid and stable, the sooner we could show social services we were meant to be his parents.

  Not that they wouldn’t place a child with a single parent, they already had. But two dads living in a home with enough expendable income for whatever might come up...that looked very attractive to the authorities. And I wasn’t rich, but I was a good saver and careful spender.

  As I stroked Damon’s hair back from his face and murmured soothing nonsense, my mind was racing, trying to think of a way to ensure that Robbie didn’t get taken away from his safe, happy home to return to a father who was just out on parole from a drug-related conviction.

  I settled my omega on the sofa and moved across the room to my laptop to do some research. While I did dental work on many children in the “system,” that was as far as my personal experience ran. And Hal did the paperwork. All I knew was what procedures could be done on the spot and which ones the insurance covering the kids required prior approval to do.

  None of that helped me determine what made a parent fit or unfit.

  The online resources were frustrating and hard to follow until I surfed away from the “official” sites and found a forum where foster parents shared their experiences. Of course, they all used screen names and the pinned post said that the children’s identities were also disguised, but that didn’t make the information any less valuable. Or true.

  Behind me, Damon mumbled in his sleep and I glanced back to see him roll over and face the back of the sofa. Poor guy had been so wound up, he’d probably be out for a while, so I returned to reading the posts.

  While the social workers did their best, it seemed they were stretched thin. In other words, they didn’t have enough hours in the day to truly follow up on the number of kids they were responsible for. Not nearly.

  So far as I’d been able to determine, nearly every mom and dad on the board had released children to parents they were worried about. In some cases, it was fine, they never returned to the system again. But in many, these parents were forced to greet kids again who they’d helped with the trauma of their drunken dad, absent mom, abusive grandpa...and deal with an even more traumatized child. My respect for my omega grew even greater as did my determination to find a way for us to keep Robbie in our family.

  I read until my eyes burned then closed the lid and sat for a few moments, digesting what I’d absorbed. Standing, I stretched my back and rolled my head, easing the tension of sitting for so long. When I faced my omega, I found him still asleep, and if I’d had a blanket over my sofa, as he did, I might have tugged it over him, but luckily, I had no such covering, and the only way to make him comfortable for the night was to scoop him up in my arms and carry him up the steps to my bedroom overlooking the pool. It was covered now, leaves piling up on it from the wind earlier in the day, but the view of the distant mountains was still extraordinary.

  But, as I laid him at the edge of the bed and knelt, tugged off his flip-flops, it wasn’t the view out the window I was interested in. I set his shoes aside then had a decision to make. How many of his clothes should I take off for his comfort without crossing a line?

  My conscience said I’d already done it. Take off the flip-flops and tuck him in. He must have been frantic to run out of the house in summer clothes at this time of year.

  Moving to the other side of the bed, I tugged the blankets and sheets down and then came back for Damon and lifted him once again. I would love to comfort him with my body, but he was so tired, so worn out and worried, he would likely sleep until morning. And I would take it. My heart was happy having him with me, lovemaking would come in its own good time. Carrying him around the foot of the bed, I watched his face, relaxed in sleep. At least the rest would give him strength for facing whatever the near future brought. What mattered was that he knew I had his back, was here to help in any way I could.

  Then his eyes opened, swollen, red eyes from his worry and grief, but so beautiful nonetheless. “Where are you taking me, Patrick?” His gaze flicked around. “Where are we?”

  I sat him on the mattress and sank down beside him. “My bedroom.”

  He frowned, as if processing what might have happened then nodded. “Can I stay over?”

  I didn’t reel back, but it wasn’t easy not to. “I had planned on it.”

  “Just a sec.” He fished in his shorts pocket, drew out his phone, and tapped in a text. “I wanted Robbie and his little friend’s mom to have the address here. They both have my phone number, but…”

  “But you’re a great dad.” And no more needed to be said.

  Damon set the phone on the nightstand and faced me. “Looks like we’re all alone, alpha. And you seem to be in a hurry to put me to bed.”

  A grin tugged at my lips, but I wasn’t sure he could see it in the dim light filtering in from the hallway and the ambient light from outside. But it didn’t really matter. Because he was awake now. And he wanted to spend the night. And when I grasped the hem of his T-shirt, he held his arms up so I could pull it over his head then flopped back and lifted his hips to let me draw his shorts down his toned, lightly furred legs.

  “No underwear?” I asked, trying to sound appalled, but secretly pleased at my find.

  He shrugged. “I wasn’t planning to leave the house. But you have to admit it’s convenient.”

  “Yes,” I agreed, but my conscience was still active. “You’ve had a really rough day. Maybe we could just crawl into bed and cuddle.”

  The look he gave me did not require translation of any kind. “Strip, alpha. Let me see what I’m in for.”

  “When you put it like that…” I was on my feet in a flash, naked and back on the bed in less time than that. “And thank heavens, because I don’t know if I would have made it through the night in conscientious mode. You’re one hot omega.”

  He crawled up toward the head of the bed, that bottom I’d felt but not seen before now on full display. Damon clutched the spindles of my headboard and arched his back, thrusting his ass toward me in a way that told me something about him I hadn’t been aware of before. “Like this?”

  Hell yeah, but no. “Roll over, omega. We have all night.”

  But when he obeyed, his dick bobbed in
front of him, and his eyes flashed. “And we can take all night. But first, I want you to claim me. Make me yours. I want your knot.”

  “And I want that, too.” He’d told me a doctor said he’d never be able to have kids, and I figured maybe he’d been with another alpha and tried, but as I saw him squeeze his eyes closed, legs spraddled wide, I realized he hadn’t ever mentioned anyone else. No...he’d said the doctor told him he’d been damaged at the time of the accident.

  “Damon, have you ever done this before?” I asked softly, my suspicions confirmed when he shook his head slowly side to side. “Open your eyes, omega mine.”

  It took a moment but he eased them open and I gave him an encouraging nod. “That’s it. I don’t want you to hide, to fear—”

  “I don’t…” But he couldn’t deny it. He swallowed hard, gaze flicking to the side.

  “Just stay focused on me.” I knelt between his legs and reached for his dick, which hadn’t gotten the message about being worried because it was still reaching for the ceiling. I scooted closer and bent close to the broad head. “I only want to make you feel good.” I closed my lips around his dick and did my best to prove my words. He released the spindles and tangled his fingers in my hair, not guiding me, nothing that bold, but more hanging on for dear life as I brought him deep into my throat, retreated, and did it again and again, sucking, licking, and nibbling, gauging by his reactions what he liked best. I had a lot to learn about my omega and how to give him pleasure, but when his grip on my locks tightened and he threatened to pull my hair out by the roots, I stopped.

  “No, don’t—”

  “Shh.” I knelt up and lifted his knees, arranging his hands under them to give me access. “I won’t leave you hanging. Long.” I checked his slick and found him more than ready for me before positioning my head and driving forward. I slid inside; he was tight and hot and made for me.

  “Ohhh, it’s so good.”

  Leaning over him, I plunged deeper each time until my balls slapped his bottom, filling him while pinning his cock between us. Judging by his ragged breaths, and his comment, we were onto something here.

  I’d waited so long, wanting him so, I was having a hard time holding back, but when he spurted between us, I stopped even trying. My cum jetted into him, my knot swelling to keep it there. Kids or no, my body was doing its best. The process was the same. Dropping onto my forearms, I became lost in the ecstasy, time passing without any awareness, finally falling to the side, taking him with me… Outside the window, the wind whipped up, autumn returning to its full force, rain lashing the glass, and lightning followed by crashes of thunder. But in my bedroom, in my bed, I pulled my omega tight against me and wrapped him firmly in my embrace.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Damon

  I got up in a panic and scrambled for my phone then breathed out a sigh of relief. It was only six in the morning. Robbie didn’t need to be picked up until eight.

  “Are you okay?” I heard Patrick’s voice, and the moments from the night before took shape in my mind. We’d made love two more times, and while I expected to be sore, I wasn’t. My body felt used but in the best way possible.

  “I am. I thought it was later.”

  “Well, in that case, get your fine ass back into this bed.”

  I laughed and he opened his arms, ready to receive me. I crawled into the bed on all fours and then flopped down, causing us both to bounce. “Good morning,” I said before kissing him thoroughly.

  “It is a fantastic morning. Let me hold you some more before you have to leave.”

  Leaving sounded like the worst idea ever. I turned, putting my back to his chest and settling my ass into the triangle of his groin. “Don’t say leave. It sounds permanent.”

  “Okay. Before you go. Going isn’t permanent. I go to work. You go get Robbie. My hand goes to grab…”

  He wrapped his hand around my dick.

  I chuckled. “Go is better. By the way, last night was perfect.”

  He groaned into my ear and then began to kiss and suck my neck and moved down to my back. “It’s not over yet. Sit up against the headboard.”

  I did as he asked and before the sun had risen completely, my alpha had his mouth around my cock. My hands fisted the sheets around me while he took me fully. The head of my erection bobbed against his tonsils.

  He pulled away and looked up at me. “Are you sore?”

  “A little, but don’t let that stop you.”

  I thought he would stop his oral assault, but instead, he began again, and my legs spread wide in reaction. He slipped one hand in between my legs and after playing with my sac, put one finger, and then two into my entrance while his mouth continued to bring me over the edge.

  “Patrick!” I yelled once the rush of pleasure had taken me over, and I rode the wave as long as I could.

  “Fuck, omega. I could listen to you call my name forever. He got up and straddled my legs. “Let’s shower and get ready. It’s a weekday.”

  I looked down while he grazed his fingers lazily along my pecs. “I don’t know when this can happen again. I’ve got Robbie, and there’s rules.”

  He sighed. “I know. But we have time. I’ll wait however long it takes.”

  “Robbie needs more friends who have sleepovers,” I joked and then wiped a tear from my face. Even saying his name brought up the situation I was in and tore me to pieces. That kid was mine. He denied me over and over, but deep down I knew we had a connection. He needed me and I sure as hell needed him.

  “Oh, man, that breaks my heart. We’ll figure this out, I promise. The you and me. The you and Robbie. All of it. It will work out. In the meantime, I’m taking you to the shower.”

  He grabbed my hand and we made our way to his bathroom. He had a marble shower with multiple heads and benches. He set the water temperature with some push-button thing on the wall before grabbing a bunch of huge fluffy gray towels.

  “Come on. You’ll feel better. I promise.”

  We got in, and after another half hour of soaping each other up and getting clean, he turned off the water and he was right. Maybe I could tackle this.

  “Here,” he said, throwing me a pair of jogging pants and a thermal shirt.

  “No, I’ve got my clothes. I’ll change when I get home. I don’t want to take your clothes.”

  He walked over to me, stalked, really, and pressed me against the bathroom wall, nothing but a towel between us. “But, omega, I want you in my clothes. I want to know that you’re surrounded by my smell and warm. And this way, when I stay over at your house one day, I have clothes for the next morning.”

  I squinted. “So sure of yourself, alpha,” I teased.

  “Tell me you don’t want me, in your own bed, screaming my name. Or maybe in that pristine kitchen of yours, ass on the cold granite countertops while I suck you until you almost can’t breathe? Or maybe the couch again. Or maybe…all three. Tell me you don’t want that, and I’ll stop.”

  My face was so hot, I thought I might faint. “Don’t you dare.”

  “Good omega. Now get those clothes on. I’m making you breakfast before you have to go.”

  I watched him walk out of the bathroom, only boxers on, and then heard him go down the hall. I put on the clothes he gave me and then straightened up the bathroom before going into the kitchen.

  “Smells amazing.”

  He turned and looked at me over his shoulder. “You smell amazing. Maybe it’s the coupling last night. I don’t know, but your scent is overpowering.”

  I shrugged. “Who knows.”

  In minutes he’d made eggs, turkey bacon, and cheese English muffins along with big mugs of coffee. He had one of those fast one-cup coffee makers.

  “I have to go,” I said, looking at my phone. It was already time to leave, but I would speed to stay just a few more minutes. Plus, I wasn’t so excited to get back to reality. I would have to deal with Robbie’s dad and maybe face court and social workers galore in the next weeks a
nd months. I’d been through it before, but this time was different. “Robbie will be okay,” I said out loud.

  “He will. But he belongs with you.”

  I sighed and took the last swig of my coffee. “This would be so much easier if…”

  “If what?” Patrick looked truly interested. I loved this man already.

  “Nothing. My brain isn’t working right today. I’m off.” I refused to say leaving.

  He walked me to the door but before I could open it, he pressed me against the solid wood and kissed me until I was sure my legs had turned to gel.

  “Say you’re mine,” he said between kisses.

  “I am yours,” I responded immediately.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Patrick

  Over the next weeks, we fell into a routine, my omega, me, and Damon’s foster son. Not to say that there was anything “routine” about it, but we fit together faster than a jigsaw puzzle at a puzzlers’ convention… Is that a thing? If not, it should be! At first, we spent most nights at Damon’s just because he felt that was where the social workers expected Robbie to be, but gradually we began to sleep at mine more often. The advantage was that the guest room at my house did not share a wall with the kid room. So we didn’t have to be quite as quiet.

  And, yes, Robbie did have his own room at my home. It wasn’t a strict remodel. He just brought more and more of his clothes and toys over then one day they had a special display of furniture at our local big-box store…

  “Daddy Patrick, look at this bed!” He steered the cart past a family looking at air-conditioning systems and down an aisle I hadn’t paid much attention to before. “And a desk, and bookcase… I could really do homework here.” He settled in the chair in front of the handsome honey-toned desk and pretended to type on a keyboard. “My math scores would go way up, here, for sure.”

  He’d hit two buttons. The second...his math homework had been giving all of us fits. I’d even contributed to having an online tutor twice a week because neither of us could figure out what he was supposed to do, and telling the teacher that two plus two is four no matter how you get there had left Mr. Hardee shockingly unimpressed.